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Updated: Jul 3, 2026

Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
Asymmetric aminocatalysis--gold rush in organic chemistry
Paolo Melchiorre1, Mauro Marigo, Armando Carlone
1Department of Organic Chemistry A. Mangini, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Viale Risorgimento 4, 40136 Bologna, Italy. p.melchiorre@unibo.it
Abstract:
Catalysis with chiral secondary amines (asymmetric aminocatalysis) has become a well-established and powerful synthetic tool for the chemo- and enantioselective functionalization of carbonyl compounds. In the last eight years alone, this field has grown at such an extraordinary pace that it is now recognized as an independent area of synthetic chemistry, where the goal is the preparation of any chiral molecule in an efficient, rapid, and stereoselective manner. This has been made possible by the impressive level of scientific competition and high quality research generated in this area. This Review describes this "Asymmetric Aminocatalysis Gold Rush" and charts the milestones in its development. As in all areas of science, progress depends on human effort.
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